Looking for a job. Parts 1, 2

Call 1

Melanie = M

Trudy = T

MAnd have you ever worked in a computer company?

TYes, I have, actually, in the job before my present one.

MHow long ago was it?

TWell, I left it three years ago.

M What computer company were you working for then?

TFor Timble. That’s a software company. It was interesting but I like languages and with Timble I never got the chance to practise.

MAnd how long have you been working in your present job?

TThree years. Ever since I left Timble.

MAnd what sort of company are you working for now?

TIt’s an import-export company, actually. So I get the chance to use my languages a lot.

MWhat languages do you speak then ?

TFrench and Spanish, and I’ve been studying German for about a year, but it’s still not very good, I’m afraid.

MHave you ever lived in a Spanish-speaking or a French-speaking country?

Not just visited, I mean.

TNo, I haven’t, but I’ve visited France and Spain several times, and I’ve had a penfriend in Argentina for years.

MAnd have you ever worked with computers?

TWith word-processors, yes. In the secretarial course, and since then I’ve been using them in both jobs.

Call 2

Ruth = R

MHave you ever worked in a computer company before?

RNo, I’m afraid I haven’t. I’ve just finished my secretarial course.

MBut have you ever had any experience with computers?

RWell, in secretarial college we had training with word-processors, of course. And at home my sister’s had her own micro-computer for a year or two, and I’ve used it a bit... but I haven’t tried to program it.

MI see. And what about languages?

RWell, the secretarial course was bilingual: in English and French... I’ve got A level in French ... and I’ve been studying German and Spanish.

MOh ... how long have you been studying them?

TSince last year, I began them last year in college.

MAnd have you ever been to a Spanish-speaking or French-speaking country?

TYes, on holiday. Twice to France and twice to Spain. But I went to Spain before I started learning Spanish.

Call 3

Stanley = S

MAnd have you ever worked in a computer company before?

SOh yes, that’s my profession, you see.

MI’m sorry?

SIt’s my profession. I’m a programmer, you see.

MAh, I see. And which company have you been working for?

SYou mean ‘which company did I work for ? I’ve been out of a job for ... some time, I used to work for IQL.

MOh yes? And how long did you work for them?

SI was with them for four years.

MHow long ago did you leave them?

SAbout eighteen months ago, I’ve been out of work ever since.

MHave you ever had any secretarial training?

SNo, but I’ve been working in offices and with word-processors ever since I left university, so I’d pick it up very quickly.

MHave you ever worked abroad? In French or Spanish-speaking countries?

SYes, I was in Algeria for six months. IQL sent me to help with a system in a bank. And I had three months in Peru once for IQL, installing an office system. My French is good, but my Spanish is a bit rusty.

MWhen were you in Peru and Algeria?

SPeru? Four years ago. And Algeria ... That was ... two years go.

Call 4

Ursula = U

MHave you ever worked in a computer company?

UNo, I’m a language teacher, as a matter of fact. I’ve been teaching in Sweden for the last three years - teaching English. Actually, I’m just home on holiday at the moment.

MUhuh ... and what languages do you speak?

UWell. Swedish and some German .. and a little Russian, but that’s a bit rusty.

MI see. And have you ever studied French or Spanish?

UNo, I got my degree in maths, in fact.

MAnd secretarial training ? Have you ever taken a secretarial course?

UYes, I have.

MWhen was that? How long ago?

UOh, after my degree. Four years ago.

MHave you ever had any experience with computers? With word-processors, for example?

UOh yes, in secretarial college, and in Sweden I’ve been teaching English in a computer software company, and I’ve been using word-processors in teaching how to write letters...

PART 2

Kate = K

Trudy = T

K... and how long have you been looking for a new job?

TWell, I’ve been looking for most of this year.

KWhy exactly do you want to leave Mercury, then?

TWell, I enjoyed working for Timble - that was my first job - because it was a nice modern company with modern offices, and the people were friendly...

KSo why did you leave Timble?

TFirst, the money, I suppose. I mean, Mercury pays much better salaries. And secondly, in Timble I was just a typist really, and in Mercury I’ve had a bit of responsibility, as a secretary.

KBut in Mercury you haven’t been so happy.

TNo, that’s it. The work isn’t very varied. It’s all the same day after day, and the atmosphere’s a bit ... old-fashioned.

KHave you heard much about this company? Pineapple, I mean.

TWell, I’ve seen your advertisements on TV and in the papers, of course, and I’ve seen the computers in the shops.

KHave you ever actually used a Pineapple computer?

TNo, I haven’t used one. In Mercury there’s a big one which does everything, accounts, word-processing ... it’s an IQL system, I think ... and at home we’ve got an Amstrad.

KIf you get this job, how long do you expect to work here?

TIf the work’s interesting and the salary’s good, I’d like to stay.

KBut are you prepared to do the same work, year after year?

TI suppose, I’m quite ambitious, but I know this company is growing and when a company grows, the work grows and changes with it.

KTrudy, if I say to you “What is your main defect?” ..., do you think that’s an unfair question? What’s your answer to that?

TNo, but it’s difficult. I’m sure I’ve got several. Maybe the main one is that I get a bit impatient sometimes. I mean, I really like to do things well, and in every company there are some people who are not so keen and, well, I find it difficult not to get impatient.

KI see. Well, you’ve got a lot of interests here. Travel and your languages, computing, er ... what about rambling, then?

TOh, about one weekend a month, actually. I’ve been doing that for three or four years now. With a ramblers’ group. We go off to the Peak District, or to Wales ... it’s very nice to get away and get some fresh air ...

(from Synthesis by W.Fowler, J.Pidcock. Units 4.1., 4.4)

UNIT 5

Lesson A

Problem Children

(Recording 1)

Sir :

Teachers in some secondary schools in Britain are worried that their jobs may become impossible shortly unless something can be done to restore discipline in the classrooms. In the problem schools, mostly in large cities, a small minority of teenage pupils deliberately disrupt lessons to such an extent that the teachers can no longer teach their classes effectively.

Some within the teachers’ unions consider that the permissive nature of the modern society is responsible. Small children who are continually encouraged to express their individuality without restriction are naturally reluctant to accept school discipline when they grow older. Furthermore, modern teaching techniques, which appear to stress personal enjoyment at the expense of serious academic work, might be teaching the child to put his own selfish interests before his duties to the community in which he lives.

Perhaps the problem can be solved by improving facilities for the psychological guidance of these difficult children or by better co-operation between the schools and the parents – for the parents may be mainly responsible for the aggressive behaviour of their off-spring. But some of us believe that there ought to be a return to more “ old-fashioned ” methods. At present in some schools teachers may not even slap a child who misbehaves, but I personally feel that caning should be re-introduced and that this might produce the desired results.

(from London Intermediate English Course, by D.Ware. Unit 18)

Teaching at School

( Recording 2 )

- Isabel, you are a teacher in a middle school, aren’t you?

- Yes, I am.

- And how old are the children.

- In Ealing, middle school children are between 8 and 12 but in other authorities they could be between 9 and 13.

- But yours are between 8 and 12. And do you like it?

- Very much so, I do.

- How long have you been teaching young children?

- About 8 years now.

- 8 years. Have you always taught at this level?

- No, I used to teach in secondary education and then about eight years ago I moved into the middle school section.

- And you prefer it, you think?

- Yes, I think you have more chance to teach different things. You teach a greater variety of subjects.

- Right. What sort of personal qualities do you think are needed to be a teacher of children?

- I think, especially with children of that age range they are very enthusiastic, and so you need to be able to follow their enthusiasms and be as enthusiastic as they are, and to be adaptable.

- So enthusiasm and adaptability really. And I suppose you have to have a training course and special qualifications to be a teacher? Did you go to a training college or anything?

- Actually, I didn’t. I took my degree and then I went into teaching straight after my degree.

- That’s all right, is it ? You go straight from university then to teaching?

- You used to be able to but now you need to have a teaching qualification first.

- I see, so it’s changed in fact. And do you think that teaching older children could be more interesting or not? You really prefer this age, 8 to 12, rather than older children?

- I used to really enjoy teaching older children but I found that after teaching them for a few years I was stuck teaching my subject and I wanted to teach different subjects, and I wanted more variety in my job.

- You don’t think they give you more ideas or they’re more adult in their approach to everything ? Older children that is.

- Oh, yes. I wouldn’t say they are more stimulating. I mean sometimes the things that you’re talking about are more interesting and the work you are doing is more interesting to you, but the younger children are just so enthusiastic and you can see their development and you can see what they’re learning.

- And it’s more rewarding ?

- It’s more rewarding at that age.

- Yes. Just as the matter of information, how do the salaries compare between middle school teachers and secondary school?

- They are exactly the same, except that in a high school you have more chance of promotion. There are only three scales in a middle school, but in a high school you could have beyond scale 4 or be a senior teacher, so there is a lot less chance of promotion in a middle school than in a high school.

- So you think the career prospects are not very good really in your position?

- Not as much as in a high school.

- No. You don’t mind that?

- No, because I enjoy the job I am doing.

- What sort of people, do you think, tend to become teachers like you of this age?

- That’s difficult to say. I think people are just so varied. You know, people go into teaching for lots of different reasons. Very difficult to generalise.

(from Developing Strategies, by B.Abbs, I.Freebairn. Unit 3)

UNIT 5

Lesson B

Peter Parker

Peter Parker is an English language teacher. He was always good at languages at school, so he decided to take his degree in French and German. When he finished his university studies he began teaching in the secondary school in England. Two years later ,however, he met someone by chance who offered him a job teaching English to foreign students during the long summer holidays. His students were adults and he enjoyed the work immensely. He soon found he was more interested in teaching his own language to foreigners than foreign languages to English school-boys.

Since then he has specialised in this work. He has found that one of the advantages of the job is that it enables him to find work almost anywhere in the world. First he went to Africa for two years and then he spent a year in Arabia.

After this he went to Greece where he has worked for the last 3 years. He hasn’t been to South America yet but he intends to go there next. He has taught men and women of all ages and of various nationalities. He has also learned to get on with all kinds of people and to adjust to different ways of life. So far he has not regretted his decision to follow this career.

(from London Intermediate English Course, by D.Ware. Programme 11)

CONSOLIDATION 1

The eight o’clock news

Good evening, and here is the Eight O’Clock News.

Five thousand people marched through the streets of Chesilworth today protesting against plans for a new international airport near the town. Although there was such a large number of demonstrators, there was no trouble. The demonstrators marched to the town hall, where a public enquiry into the plans was taking place, and handed in a petition to the chairman of the enquiry. A new airport is needed because the other airports in London area are overcrowded. Several sites for the new airport have been suggested, and Chesilworth was considered because it is near both a major motorway and a railway line. Although it was a protest march, there was almost a carnival atmosphere, and both demonstrators and police remained good-humoured.

Families were evacuated from four streets in the centre of Glasgow today, because of a gas explosion. The explosion occurred at ten a.m. in a deserted house in Mickle Street. Gas Board officials believe that the explosion was due to leaking gas. The house had been empty for several months, and they suspect that a gas main had cracked because of vibration from road-works in the street. Windows 100 metres away were broken by the blast. The police have forbidden anyone to enter the area until the Gas Board has completed tests.

Air-sea rescue helicopters from RAF Sopworth were called out after a yacht capsized in a storm off the Devon coast. Despite high seas the helicopters lowered rescue teams to try and save the crew. Two men and a girl were pulled to safety. Unfortunately, the other two crewmembers died in spite of the rescue team’s efforts. One was lost at sea. The other was rescued and taken to hospital, but was dead on arrival. The coast-guard had warned small boats to stay in the harbour, but the yacht, the ‘Neptune III’ from Poole, had set out for France despite the warnings.

Fernside Engineering announced today that they are closing their plant in Tadworth. Three hundred jobs will be lost because of the closure, which is due to a sharp decline in orders for their products. There have been rumours for several weeks that the plant might be closed, and in spite of lengthy discussions between unions and management, closure became inevitable because of the cancellation of several major orders. As well as the three hundred redundancies at Tadworth, union leaders predict further redundancies in the area, in firms which supply Fernside Engineering with components.

Reports are coming in of a 100 mph car chase through the roads of Hampshire. Police disturbed a gang of men who were breaking into a chemist’s in Lyndford. However, the men escaped in a stolen Jaguar saloon, and the police chased them through the New Forest at high speed. The Jaguar was forced off the road near Bransley. The men were armed with shot-guns, but nevertheless police-officers chased them across a field. Several shots were fired. Fortunately, however, no one was injured, and the men were taken into custody.

Brighton Belle XIY, a four-year-old Dalmatian bitch, became the ‘Supreme Champion Dog’ at Cruft’s Dog Show in London. There were almost 10,000 dogs on show, worth around £8,000,000. There were 120 judges looking at 144 different breeds of dog. Brighton Belle XIY is expected to earn up to £100,000 in breeding and advertising fees.

And lastly, sport. Eastfield United are through to the next round of the European Cup after an exciting match in Scotland. Dunromin Rangers scored twice in the first half, and although Eastfield were two down at half-time, they went on to win with a hat trick by Trevor Franklin in the second half. Towards the end of the second half, Franklin was limping because of a knee injury, but nevertheless managed to score the winning goal one minute from time. The game was stopped twice because of fighting in the crowd, but in spite of the trouble, and in spite of the appalling weather, both teams played well. Viewers will be able to see highlights of the match after the news.

(from Streamline English. Destinations, by B.Hartley, P.Viney. Unit 60)

SECTION 2

UNIT 1

Lesson A

Calling a doctor

CALL ONE

MaryDoctor, I’m a busy mother with two kids and I have a job as well. And I was wondering if there is any advice you can give me about appetite and food. My trouble is that I haven’t got any appetite. I just don’t enjoy my food.

DoctorLet’s see. First, I think you should do the following, if you can. Take a warm bath every day, get some exercise in the fresh air, and so on … and, secondly, I wonder if you get enough variety in your diet. You should give the body fresh food and vegetables, meat, fish and so on - in other words, high protein foods. You should eat as much raw food as you can, too - salads and fruit. And do you drink enough water? A lot of people don’t, and the body needs about eight glasses of water every day.

CALL TWO

PeteDoctor, I’m going to the Mediterranean for a camping holiday next week, and every time I go I get bitten really badly by mosquitoes. Is there anything I can do to avoid mosquito bites, because they really spoil the holiday?

DoctorOh yes, there is. It’s a fact that mosquitoes attack people who eat foods that are heavy in sugar or salt. So you should avoid sugary and salty foods as far as possible. Other things are, let me see, yes, you should avoid after-shave lotions and colognes and perfumes, because insects are attracted to them. And if mosquitoes do bite you, don’t scratch the bites. Just wash them with soap and water.

CALL THREE

AnneDoctor, I’m a student in my final year at school and I’ve got some very important exams at the end of this term. But I find it very difficult sometimes to concentrate on studying. I don’t sleep very well and I always seem to be hungry. I simply can’t seem to concentrate. I don’t know why.

DoctorI can tell you what I think you should do. First, your diet. Cut out all sugars and starches - no cakes, white bread, potatoes and so on. When you get up in the morning, eat some raw fruit for breakfast, and make sure your meals are high in proteins - fruit or eggs or meat but nothing with starch. One special food you could try is figs, fresh figs. The ancient Romans and Greeks and Egyptians all used to say that students and philosophers should eat lots of fresh figs.

CALL FOUR

AlanYou see, doctor, the problem is that I have too much work to do, haven’t got time for anything else. And I don’t seem to have any energy because I sleep badly – sometimes I don’t sleep at all. That means that I often get up in the morning feeling worse, feeling more tired, that is, than when I went to bed.

DoctorWell, you sound as if your problem is general stress, so let’s see. First, you don’t get enough exercise, apparently. You must breathe enough fresh air. If you don’t, you body can’t work properly. Make sure that you get some exercise every day. The exercise needn’t be violent … a good walk is enough. Do you take warm baths? If you don’t, try taking a warm bath just before you go to bed. Then you should sleep better. And a third general point is that it sounds as if you don’t enjoy life very much. Try to mix work and pleasure, because you will work better if you do.

CAL FIVE

Mark Doctor, I’ve been told that I have high blood pressure. What should I do to get it back to normal?

DoctorWell, eat less and exercise more, and you should take enough time off work to forget it. Have a holiday now and again. You should avoid sugary things, eggs, and meat too. With high blood pressure, it’s really the question of cleaning the blood, you see. So you should make fresh fruit a big factor in your diet. If you want quick results, you had better try living for three days, or a weekend on raw fresh fruit and drinking only fresh fruit or vegetable juices.

CALL SIX

Meg Doctor, I’ve been suffering from an allergy for years and I’ve been to lots of doctors and nobody knows what the trouble really is. Can you tell me what I should do?

DoctorFor allergy there are several things I should mention. First, you must avoid sudden changes of temperature, so if you work in an office with central heating or air conditioning, be careful when you go outside. Secondly, you should avoid cold water, so you should bath and wash in hot or warm water. Thirdly, you’d better avoid any cool food or drink that shocks the system. And number four, you should avoid condiments like pepper, salt, vinegar - anything spicy, in fact.

(from Synthesis by W.Fowler, J.Pidcock. Unit 7.1)

UNIT 1

Lesson B

Medical advice

Timothy Old = T.O.

Guy Lines = G.L.

T.O.… that was the latest record from Computer, ‘Space Travel’.

Eleven o’clock on Tuesday 17^th September here on the Timothy Old Show on Radio Wessex. 206 metres medium wave, and it’s time for our Medical Advice spot. Today’s guest is Dr Guy Lines from the Common Cold Research Unit. Dr Lines, could you briefly describe your work?

G.L.Yes, Tim. We ask volunteers to stay with us at the Research

Centre for two weeks … and we give them a cold.

T.O.You give them a cold?

G.L.That’s correct. Actually we give half of them a cold. That is we infect them with a solution of cold germs. The other half are given clear, plain water. They’re a control group. Our researchers don’t know which volunteers have been infected.

T.O.How do you get volunteers?

G.L.By word of mouth. It’s like a holiday hotel, really. And of course only half are infected. We can then study the effect of different cold treatments.

T.O.So, have you found the cure yet?

G.L.Not yet, I’m afraid. Although I’d like to get rid of a few old wives’ tales. You get a cold from germs. Not from wet feet, or cold air or sitting in a draught.

T.O.What advice would you give to cold sufferers, then?

G.L.The oldest of all. If you treat a cold, it takes about a week to get over it. If you don’t treat it … then it takes about a week to get over it.

T.O.What about aspirin … or hot whisky and lemon?

G.L.Of course aspirin, or a drink of spirits helps the symptoms. It makes the sufferer feel better, especially if they just go to bed and wait. It doesn’t cure it, though.

T.O.What about your research?

G.L.We’re finding good results from vitamins - large doses of vitamin C … and I mean 5 or 6 grams a day … do seem to help some people if taken at the very first sign of a cold. Once it started though, it seems much less successful. Vitamins A and B6 also seem to help, but we have a lot more research to do. Interferon does give good results, but of course it’s wildly expensive, and we can’t really waste the limited supplies we have on cold research. Most of it is being used for cancer research at the moment.

T.O.Interferon?

G.L.Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.

T.O.Wasn’t there a programme about it on TV recently?

G.L.There was.

T.O.What’s your final advice then?

G.L.Basically go home. Take plenty of liquid. Vitamin C certainly won’t do you any harm, and it may help. Aspirin will make you feel better, but the best advice I can give you is rest. Plenty of rest.

T.O.Thank you, Dr Lines. We’ll be coming back to you after our next record, it’s Daisy Barton singing ‘You broke my heart’...

(from Streamline English. Directions, by P.Viney. Unit 3.6)

UNIT 2

Lesson A

I love my job

Recording 1

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1430